Fun vehicle and bob, toboggan or roller coaster run for using the same

ABSTRACT

An amusement vehicle for a bob or toboggan run. A basic vehicle frame has arranged thereon rollers and/or slide members for movement of the vehicle, as well as a second frame for accommodation of one or several persons. The second frame is movable essentially perpendicular to the driving direction of the basic vehicle frame. The invention also includes a bob, toboggan or roller coaster run for such an amusement vehicle.

This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/EP01/12307 which has an Internationalfiling date of Oct. 24, 2001, which designated the United States ofAmerica.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to a fun vehicle as well as to a bob,toboggan or roller coaster run for using the vehicle.

2. Discussion of Background

Already a great variety of amusement rides entertain visitors at fairsand amusement parks. Among others, also roller coaster runs and summertoboggan runs have to be mentioned.

For example, DE 2330933 a toboggan run device is shown in which atoboggan sledge can slide on a toboggan run device constructed ofseveral segments, using gravity. In this kind of toboggan run device thesledge is not bound to an accurately defined path, in the form of railse.g., but within certain limits is freely movable on said toboggan rundevice.

Another kind of toboggan run device is described in DE 29800205 in whicha vehicle is movable on a rail arrangement also using gravity. This kindof toboggan run device essentially really corresponds to the principleof a roller coaster run only with the difference that in a rollercoaster run several sledges are connected to one another and thevehicles cannot be braked individually.

However, it is a disadvantage in these toboggan devices that tocompensate for the centrifugal forces, the path must be inclined withrespect to the curve axis in the curves, so that the drive does not haveto compensate for the centrifugal force by structural strength alone. Itis a problem that the lateral inclination of the path due to thedifferent drives never does exactly correspond to the centrifugalforces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to create anamusement vehicle for a bob or toboggan run device in particular,offering high driving pleasure, with expense as low as possible andsimple construction as well as eliminating the drawbacks of the priorart.

The invention is based on the basic idea of compensating for centrifugalforces acting on the driver of an amusement vehicle during passage ofcurves, by a seat arrangement which is freely movable in theperpendicular direction to the driving direction of the amusementvehicle. In this way the actual centrifugal forces are directlyconverted into the movement of the seat arrangement. For this purpose,the amusement vehicle in accordance with the present invention, inaddition to a basic vehicle frame on which rollers and/or slide membersfor movement of the vehicle are arranged, includes a second frame onwhich one or several seats can be arranged and which is movably arrangedon the basic vehicle frame essentially perpendicular to the movingdirection of the vehicle. For this, it is advantageous to arrange achassis on the basic vehicle frame, on which the second frame ismovable.

In order to absorb the centrifugal forces correspondingly, it isadvantageous that the second frame moves in its moving direction along aclosed orbit or a segment of a circle. This, thus, means that thechassis is built as an open or closed pipe segment. In this way it isachieved that in curve drives, the centrifugal forces displace thesecond frame with the driver or drivers along the cylinder surface ofthe pipe segment in one direction or the other laterally or upwardly,the centrifugal forces being reduced thereby.

It is particularly advantageous to arrange the second frame as well asthe amusement vehicle itself on a rail arrangement. By means of therails, on one hand, an accurately predefined movement of the amusementvehicle as well as the second frame is possible with respect to thebasic vehicle frame and, on the other hand, the rail arrangements offera simple solution for providing for safe fixation to avoid the vehicleor the second frame from being lifted from the rails. Such a securingdevice which preferably is provided on the vehicle as well as on thesecond frame movable in the vehicle, can in advantageous manner consistof opposing pairs of rollers and/or slide members so that the opposingpairs of rollers and/or slide members encircle the rails in such amanner that detaching from the rails is impossible.

Due to the design of the amusement vehicle with a seat arrangementfreely movable in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction, anincreased driving fun for the user is achieved as well as asimplification for the construction of the path, preferably consistingof a rail arrangement arranged on a scaffold. The path namely no longerhas to include inclinations to compensate for centrifugal forces.Consequently, it is advantageous to design the path such that in curvesthe path no longer is inclined with respect to the curve axis, i.e. thusessentially is arranged in perpendicular to the curve axis. Apart fromthat, the path, similar to known roller coaster runs, can includesloping, ascending or plane partial path sections.

By the bob, toboggan or roller coaster run device in accordance with thepresent invention and/or the amusement vehicle, respectively, providedtherefore, a broad width of design of a bob or toboggan run is given inwhich multiple effects can be effected which severely increase drivingpleasure for the user. For example, it is conceivable to arrange shortand narrow curve radii in such a manner that the movable seatarrangement in the amusement vehicle due to the impulse caused by thecentrifugal forces is pushed into a looping movement within a closedpipe-like chassis in which the movable seat arrangement is provided for.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages, characteristics and features of the presentinvention become evident with reference to the following detaileddescription of an embodiment with reference to the attached drawingswhich show:

FIG. 1 a cross-sectional view through an amusement vehicle along theline II—II of FIG. 3 in accordance with the present invention as well asthe rail arrangement on which the amusement vehicle is movable;

FIG. 2 a representation of the amusement vehicle in accordance with FIG.1 in a curve passage;

FIG. 3 a longitudinal section along line I—I of FIG. 1 through anamusement vehicle in correspondence with FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 in a cross-sectional view shows an amusement vehicle 1 located ona rail arrangement 6, 7 on which it is movable. The rail arrangementconsists of the rails 6 and the support scaffold 7.

The amusement vehicle 1 includes a basic vehicle frame 2 on whichrollers 5 are provided serving for movement of the amusement vehicle 1.In total the amusement vehicle 1 includes 3 pairs of opposing rollers 5so that the amusement vehicle 1 is safely arranged on the rails 6.

On the vehicle frame 2 furthermore a chassis 10 is provided, which inthe present embodiment is constructed as a semicircular pipe section,the outer surface 4 in the embodiment (FIG. 3) being constructed open.However, it also is conceivable to embody said vehicle closed, i.e. toembody said chassis 10 as a full-surface pipe member as shown in FIG. 4.On the inside of the chassis 10, in addition, guide rails 8 are providedon which a second frame 3 is movable by means of second rollers 9. Bythe guide rails 8, the moving direction for the second frame 3perpendicular to the driving direction of the amusement vehicle 1 or thebasic vehicle frame 2 is given. A movement parallel to the drivingdirection of the amusement vehicle 1 or the basic vehicle frame 2 is notpossible for the second frame 2. On the second frame 3, a seat 11 isindicated schematically, on which a person can take a seat.

The operating mode of the amusement vehicle 1 now is such that, as canbe seen from FIG. 2, the path consisting of the scaffold 7 and the rails6 in the curves is not inclined with respect to the curve axis, so thatduring curve passage, the centrifugal forces acting on the second frame3 move the second frame 3 together with the seat 11 along the guiderails 9 and/or along the segment of a circle, respectively, of the pipechassis 10. The driver, thus in correspondence with the centrifugalforces occurring in the curves, is moved either in one direction or theother within the pipe chassis 10, the driver therein due to the circularor circle-segmental cross-section of the pipe chassis 10 also beingmoved upwardly by the centrifugal forces.

In the shown embodiment the amusement vehicle does not include its owndrive, but is moved by gravity only. Correspondingly, the path similarto a roller coaster run or a toboggan run is provided with correspondinginclinations with respect to the driving direction.

What is claimed is:
 1. An amusement vehicle for a bob or toboggan runcomprising, a basic vehicle frame (2) on which rollers (5) and/or slidemembers for movement of said vehicle (1) are arranged, and a secondframe (3) for accommodation of one or several persons (11), which movesessentially perpendicular to the driving direction of said basic vehicleframe (2), and along an orbit vertically closed in cross-section indriving direction of said basic vehicle frame (2) so that during passageof said vehicle on curves said second frame (3) is displaced along saidorbit by centrifugal forces.
 2. The amusement vehicle as defined inclaim 1, wherein said vehicle (1) and/or said second frame (3) aremovable on rails (6,8).
 3. The amusement vehicle as defined in claim 2,wherein said vehicle (1) and/or said second frame (3) include safetymeans preventing detachment of said vehicle (1) and/or said second frame(3) from said rails (6,8).
 4. The amusement vehicle as defined in claim3, wherein said safety means consist of rollers (5,9) and/or slidemembers arranged opposite to one another.
 5. The amusement vehicle asdefined in claim 1, wherein said second frame (2) includes one orseveral seats.
 6. A bob, toboggan or roller coasting run with at leastone amusement vehicle (1) having a basic vehicle frame (2) on whichrollers (5) and/or slide members for movement of said vehicle (1) arearranged, and a second frame (3) for accommodation of one or severalpersons (11), which moves essentially perpendicular to the drivingdirection of said basic vehicle frame (2), and along an orbit verticallyclosed in cross-section in driving direction of said basic vehicle frame(2) so that during passage of said vehicle on curves said second frame(3) is displaced along said orbit by centrifugal forces and a path (6,7)on which said amusement vehicle (1) can move.
 7. The bob, toboggan orroller coasting run as defined in claim 6, wherein said path includes arail or track arrangement (6).
 8. The bob, toboggan or roller coastingrun as defined in claim 6, wherein said path in driving direction isplane, sloping or ascending, said path in curves being arrangedessentially in perpendicular to the curve axis.
 9. A bob, toboggan orroller coasting run with at least one amusement vehicle (1) having abasic vehicle frame (2) on which rollers (5) and/or slide members formovement of said vehicle (1) are arranged, and a second frame (3)including at least one seat for accommodation of one or several persons(11), which moves essentially perpendicular to the driving direction ofsaid vehicle frame (2), and along an orbit vertically closed incross-section in driving direction of said basic vehicle frame (2) sothat during passage of said vehicle on curves said second frame (3) isdisplaced along said orbit by centrifugal forces and a path (6,7),including a rail or track arrangement on which is in said amusementvehicle (1) can move, said path having a driving direction which is in aplane, sloping or ascending, said path and curves being arrangedessentially perpendicular to the curve axis, said vehicle and/or secondframe including a safety means including rollers and/or slide membersarranged opposite to one another, for preventing detachment of saidvehicle and/or said frame from said rails.